The most popular recipe on my blog is Garlic, Soy & Honey Pork Belly Slices, which in itself is a fairly easy and quick recipe (minus the marinading time), but this is a super quick and lazy alternative using shop-bought stir-fry sauce. I love the hoisin and garlic variety, but any flavour could be used.

Ingredients:

Pork belly slices – 3 per person

Stir fry sauce – 1 sachet per 10-12 slices

Method:

Line a baking tray with tin foil, arrange slices on tray and cover with stir fry sauce, coating well.

Cook in a preheated oven at 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3 for 40 mins-1 hour. Turn occasionally if you want.

Turn the oven up to 210°C/Fan 190°C/Gas 7 for 15 minutes to crisp up. If you like it more crispy place on a wire rack.

Christmas is the time to go to town and make your own gravy from scratch. It’s easier than you think and gives really tasty results. This recipe is for goose, but you can use the same method for turkey or other poultry.

Ingredients:

Giblets (neck, heart and gizzard, not the liver)

Water or chicken stock

Onions – 2 (quartered)

Celery – 1 stick (chopped)

Carrot – 1 (chopped)

Bouquet garni

Black peppercorns – about half a dozen

Plain flour – 2 tablespoons

Corn flour (optional for thicker gravy) – a tablespoon mixed with a little water

Method:

Brown the giblets in a large saucepan. Add a litre/2 pints of hot water or stock. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum.

Add the vegetables and seasoning, and simmer for an hour. Strain, then cool and store in fridge until the roast is ready.

While the bird is resting after cooking, remove all but one tablespoon of fat from the roasting tin.

Put the roasting tin on the hob (medium heat), gradually add the plain flour and whisk constantly for a few minutes.

Pour in the giblet stock (about half a pint per 4 people). Bring to the boil, and simmer for a few minutes, season. If you want a thicker gravy add corn flour and simmer until desired consistency.

This week I’ve already blogged about the meats and desserts to have for Christmas dinner, this post is about another vital part of your meal, the vegetables! Below are some suggestions for vegetable dishes, just click on the titles to link through to my original blog posts.

Ok, so this one is not an original recipe. but why peel a pound of sprouts for the one person that likes them? Sometimes it makes more sense to be kind to yourself and just get a bag out of the freezer! It’s Christmas for the cook too, so don’t stress yourself out and be too exhausted to enjoy the fruits of your labours.

The traditional British Christmas dessert is, of course, Christmas pudding, but not everyone likes fruitcake. Here are a few alternatives that everyone will love, just click on the titles to take you to the original post.